Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s announcement on X that the AI5 chip was “almost ready” was met with weary skepticism after years of time delays and unfulfilled promises.
What is going on?
On January 17, Musk said that the AI5 was about to be completed and suggested that another more powerful chip – AI6 – could be ready in just nine months.
“Aim for a 9-month design cycle,” Musk wrote. “Join us to work on what I predict will be the highest volume of AI chips in the world by far!”
Musk first unveiled AI5 at a shareholder meeting in June 2024, and claimed the next-generation self-driving chip would be in all Tesla electric vehicles, as well as the Optimus humanoid robot, in about 18 months. Said to be 10 times more capable than Hardware 4.
While Tesla is not far from that 18-month window, Electrek’s Fred Lambert cautioned consumers to take Musk’s announcement with a “massive grain of salt.”
“Today’s news that ‘the design is almost finished’ contrasts with his statement that the design was ‘finished’ back in July 2025,” pointed out Lambert. Musk also claimed that Tesla had “completed the design” on AI5 at the annual shareholder meeting in 2024.
Why is this important?
The emergence of self-driving EVs was undoubtedly a milestone for tech enthusiasts and forward-thinkers, but autonomous EVs have significance for everyday consumers as well. They can revolutionize transportation, making it cleaner, safer, and more affordable.
Already, Waymo — a rival of Alphabet-owned Tesla in autonomous technology, at least in Musk’s estimation — has completed hundreds of millions of rider miles just around four major US cities. According to its safety data, Waymo’s self-driving EVs have resulted in 90% fewer crashes with serious injuries or worse compared to an average human driver.
However, in 2025, Tesla struggled to inspire confidence as sales lagged. Of course, Musk’s entry into politics has reduced the reputation of the brand in the eyes of many. A series of high-profile robotaxi crashes have also raised concerns about the viability of Tesla’s self-driving technology, possibly damaging confidence in autonomous EV technology as a whole.
“If Tesla can’t get its software to run unattended on the millions of HW3 and HW4 cars on the road today, does it really matter if AI5 is ‘almost ready’?” Lambert wrote. “… In short, this does not appear to be the solution to Tesla’s unsupervised autonomous driving problem.”
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What is being done about it?
A competitive EV market is another factor that has dampened enthusiasm for Tesla, but that’s good news if you’re interested in making your next car an EV. If you want to get your hands on a zero tailpipe emission vehicle with lower lifetime operating costs, you have tons of options.
Meanwhile, Lambert believes that Musk is unlikely to fulfill his promises about the development of AI5, AI6, and more – at least on the timetable he has set.
“Even consumer electronics giants like Apple operate on annual cycles that are turning into years,” he wrote. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting to see Tesla pushing the envelope on custom silicon. However… AI5 feels like classic Musk over-optimism.”
Others had a more pessimistic view on Tesla.
“They have no idea how to develop things in generations. They only know how to work like a start-up … then they try to keep going faster than the consequences,” said one commentator.
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